pounds in order to meet qualifying standards for the Bank of Bermuda Cup on September 19 -- though he is not saying exactly how much trimming still needs to be done.

It was nearly six weeks ago when the foursome -- Bromby, Lee White, Penny Simmons and Dennis Correia -- were advised of the new weight restrictions that were imposed by race organisers, which sees the maximum overall weight going down from 814 pounds last year to 759 pounds for this year.

Since then Bromby and his crew have been trying desperately to get rid of a combined 60 pounds, of which close to 30 pounds were to come off Bromby.

They have just four days to shed the excess pounds before Saturday's 9 a.m.

weigh-in time, with one option being for Bromby being to replace a crew member for a lighter person. Because of the harmony in the boat there is a reluctance to do that.

"All I can say is that we remain hopeful, we're sort of optimistic,'' said Bromby who is the reigning Bank of Bermuda Cup champion.

However, Bromby confided that while they have made a serious attempt to lose weight he personally does not favour losing so many pounds within such a short span.

"I don't think we are doing ourselves any good physically by losing weight this fast,'' he said.

Ordinarily it would have been easy for Bromby and his crew to simply turn down the challenge of losing the weight and just withdraw from the competition altogether. But he says that this has been an event that they have long planned for and were keen to participate in.

With a sixth-place finish in the Omega Golf Cup a year ago, Bromby said that the build-up plans for the event called for participation in the Nation's Cup in Savannah, Georgia, and Holland where he was just recently denied a place in the semifinal by Peter Holmgren of the US Virgin Islands.

John Thompson, Bank of Bermuda chairman and commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club which will host the events, admitted the addition or loss of weight probably would not have much effect on the performances of the IOD.

Still, he emphasized that the rules were in accordance with those determined by the IYRU, though it would be a disappointment if Bromby was not able to participate.

"If Peter can't be down to the weight for the Bank of Bermuda Cup it is unlikely they will make the Omega Golf Cup, which would be very unfortunate,'' Thompson told The Royal Gazette last week.

Bromby admitted to being caught by surprise on the weight issue: "When we found out about this new weight thing it was just six weeks before the event, so there was nothing much we could do about it after planning to compete.'' During their stint in Holland, Bromby recalled that a serious attempt was made to shed some weight and he believed that most of them did although one crew member's health condition has prevented him from shedding the extra pounds.

"We worked hard at it by watching what we ate and running seven out of the nine days that we were there. So we have been losing a few pounds steadily over the last few weeks,'' said Bromby.

WAITING -- Peter Bromby, pictured (right) during last year's Omega Gold Cup, must trim his weight if he is to bid to qualify for next month's event.